Quicksand

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Two of Pentacles; from the Marseille Oracle, Cheerfulness:

It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them... There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly.

–Aldous Huxley

This card shows a game going on, possibly kila, a 12th century Russian game similar to rugby. When we are juggling many duties and obligations, we may get hyperfocused on one 'ball' and let others drop. The envelope down at the feet of these men suggest an unpaid bill or an unanswered correspondence that could be important. While we can't always keep our head on a swivel, we do need to pause occasionally, lift our heads and make sure the roof isn't falling in while we're busy mopping floors. Cheerfulness suggests we do our tasks without drama or constant complaining (which only serve to amplify our frustrations). Put on some music or a podcast... anything but listen to that inner whiner. 

Web of Relationships

From the Fey Tarot, the Seven of Wands; from the I Misteri Sibilla, Allegria (Nine of Clubs):

          Our world is a web of relationships, a constant cooperative effort of creating, caring for, and repairing. But there are those in this web who would prefer to cut out certain strands simply because of greed or because they don't conform to their preferences. It is up to the rest of the web's strands to protect the integrity and well-being of the whole. Such a goal is not based on aggression and hatred but aimed toward defense and support of those in harm's way. In the words of Jan Chozen Bays, "We can only try to keep our minds as clear as possible and our hearts as open as possible to face each situation as it arises." We do not want to become the people we are defending against. To prevent this, all defenders and repairers need to refuel their spirits as Allegria (cheerfulness) implies. In the words of Daisaku Ikeda, "A truly warm human relationship—how much in the way of hope and courage and conviction it is capable of giving!"

Protecting the Unprotected

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, Justice; from the Marseille Oracle, Cheerfulness:

Well, if one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected — those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most! — and listens to their testimony. 

—James Baldwin

          Justice weighs the intentions, actions, and the fallout from those actions on her scales. In a truly fair world, justice would not be denied any group; injustices would cause all citizens to line the streets in protest whether they were directly affected or not. Our current system is broken. As Robert Ingersoll stated, "Justice should remove the bandage from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate." Perhaps one day we'll have a reason to be cheerful and celebrate if we remember the words of Cornel West: "Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public."